Fifth Grade
by TheRoseShadow21
Summary: Everybody is different. So it makes sense that their experiences are too. So for this cast- what were their fifth grade experiences like? one-shot collection fic, various characters and themes. Includes OCs. Launched to coincide with #bdgimweek
1. Jun Shiratori, 1976

**Character: Jun Shiratori**

 **Year: 1976** **  
**

 **Title: Paper Airplanes**

* * *

"Hey, hey, let's go to the park!"

"Wanna go play football?"

"Aw man, I have to go to cram school though!"

"Come around to mine! I've got that new game that's just come out!"

"Eh, really? I want to play it too!"

These are just some of the different snippets of conversations that take place each day after school. I don't take part in them. My classmates don't invite me round to their houses or ask me to go to the park with them. There aren't any offers for me to refuse or accept or argue over. I've never really had them.

Well, that's not _entirely_ true. I do talk to some people in the class, and I kind of like most of them. I had a good friend once, Yoshi, but he moved away last year. And though, like I said, some people are okay, they aren't good friends like Yoshi. Maybe because I'm not that popular anyway. I'm not very loud or confident, and I'm not good at sports the way Maeda and Nakamura are. And I don't like getting into trouble, so I can't make jokes in the class that make everyone (even Iki-sensei) laugh the way that Sakaki and his sister can make jokes. Instead, I like to make things out of paper. Origami. I'm especially good at making paper airplanes. And I like to help with my father's shop when I can, which is a good thing, as he always says that I will be working there properly when I am older, sometime that's _ages_ away, like after high school or something. But not many people in my class are like that, so I don't talk to them about it or anything.

It's okay though. I don't mind it too much. So, as everyone huddles together or rushes around to leave the building while making their plans for football or cram school or just hanging out, I quietly make my way out of the building. I say farewell to Iki-sensei, to be nice, and to some others from my year that I bump into on the way out. As I walk down the road, I wonder what to do. I have a little bit of homework, but it isn't that tricky, so it probably wouldn't take me that long to do. It's a nice day, too, the type of day that's good for sitting by the river bank and looking at the scenery. Perhaps fly a few paper airplanes too. So that's what I do.

When I get there, there are some boys from the year above throwing a basketball at each other, and some of the girls in my class, just sitting about with each other, twittering and giggling. The boys pay no attention to me (which I am glad of), but one of the girls, Kyouko, spots me.

"Shiratori- _kun_. A-are y-you coming t-to play?"

The other girls burst into giggles at this. This happens, sometimes, too. I've always had a bit of a stutter and it doesn't seem to want to go away. I often wish it would, though. It's horrible when other people mimic it. But I've eventually learnt to ignore them, so that's just what I do with Kyouko and her friends, walking further along so that I am far away from them. I sit down and pull my backpack off so that I can get my sheets of paper out to make a plane. It is easy now, almost like breathing, and so while I make the plane, I remember that the newest issue of the paper crafts magazine that my mother subscribed me to two years ago might be coming today. Apparently this one will be full of really, really difficult things to make, which will be quite fun. I like a little challenge from time to time. Having a challenge is good, apparently, because overcoming them helps you grow as a person, according to both Iki-sensei and my father. I sometimes think I haven't grown much as a person in that case, as most of my life is a challenge that I haven't overcome, but I think that maybe the paper craft challenges are the exception to that.

But thinking about that also reminds me of how lonely I am.

I don't mind how things are. I really don't. But sometimes, I wish I was invited around to play with people more often. That I didn't have a stutter that people like Kyouko teased me about. That I could be brave and popular just like Maeda, Nakamura or Sakaki and his sister. Or simply, that right now, I had someone to make paper airplanes with and talk about the new paper craft challenges I am going to try when the magazine comes. Perhaps even someone to race paper airplanes with too.

Once the airplane is finished, I stand up and look around for the best direction to aim it at. I don't want it to land in the river and get soaked, after all. Once I've decided, I draw my arm back and let it go, and the paper airplane soars, really high, and fast, and far. So far, that I start running after it, so that I can catch it when it lands, and then go back to where my bag is and start again. I think to myself that I could do this a few times more, and then go home. When you're doing something alone, it does get old quickly, no matter how much you like it.

The plane shows no sign of wanting to land, even after a while, and I continue running after it, wondering just how far it will end up going. A little bit of a breeze has picked up, which is probably helping it a little bit. Perhaps I will even be able to break a record.

Or perhaps not, because as I get closer, another boy suddenly appears and grabs the paper airplane as it starts to dip a little. I blink for a moment, and then I realise what just happened.

"T-That's my plane!" I protest, skidding to a halt in front of him and preparing to fight to get my plane back, even though fighting is _not_ my strong point. But to my surprise, the boy's eyes just widen, and he suddenly thrusts the plane back at me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know!"

"I-it's a-alright," I say, a little taken aback. "H-hey, do you g-go to M-Mikoto Elementary?"

The boy nods slightly, still staring at me as though I am a little scary. And now, he seems a little surprised, too.

"Yeah, I do! Do you? You're not in my grade, are you?"

"I'm i-in the f-fifth grade. What g-grade a-are you i-in?"

"Thirds."

"Third? N-no way!" Y-you're a-as tall a-as me!"

The boy reddens at this, and looks away. He doesn't speak for a moment, and when he does, it's just a mutter.

"Lots of people say that. That I'm too tall."

"N-no, I d-don't think s-so."

"Really?"

"Yeah, sure. It makes you look cool."

Though I am not sure why, I sort of feel sorry for him. But I mean what I am saying.

"O-oh. T-thanks."

He looks at me, again surprised. There's another silence while we both assess each other. He looks a bit like one of the more popular sorts of children, as he wears the sporty sort of clothes that Maeda and Nakamura do. But there is something not very sporty or confident about the way he stands, and he already said that he didn't like his tallness. And that expression he keeps pulling, it reminds me of…well, _me_. It's a very weird thing to realise. And for some reason, I find myself thinking this to be a good thing.

"Did you make that paper airplane?"

I blink, and realise the boy is pointing to the plane that is safely back in my hand.

"Y-yeah, w-why?"

The boy shifts from foot to foot.

"I'd like to know how. To make one, I mean, Could you show me how to make one? If it isn't too much trouble, that is, sempai!"

I gawk at him, then at the plane in my hand, then back at him again. It occurs to me that this is a chance to stop my loneliness. He might be a lot younger than me, which isn't what I expected, but I don't think it matters. After all, a friend is a friend, right? So I smile as winningly as I can, and hold out my free hand for him to shake.

"S-sure. I-I'd like t-that. M-My name is J-Jun by the way. Jun Shiratori."

"I'm Takeo Sasaki."

"P-pleased to meet you, S-Sasaki-kun!" I say, happily. He grins back, his face scrunching up as he replies that it's nice to meet me, too. I point out where my bag still is, and we go over there, and sit down on the grass. Then, I start to show my new friend how to make a paper airplane.

* * *

 **Welcome to my story collection for the ERASED fandom. I made the decision to launch it in the middle of #bdgimweek on Tumblr as that seemed fitting, but it is going to continue for a long time after that. In fact, this entire collection will have 12 stories when finished, all of varying lengths, perspectives and styles.**

 **As you might have twigged from the story summary and the title, what all the stories have in common are that they focus around the characters at a point in their lives during fifth grade. There was some sort of logic as to why I decided this was enough of a theme to connect some characters (some canon, some OCs), to do with the fact that the pivotal events in the series relate to when Satoru was in fifth grade, but it's pretty muddled. In any case, all you need to know is all the characters will be 10 or 11 years old in the fics they feature in.**

 **I was going to start this story with Kayo, as she is actually portrayed as a fifth grader, but I thought that as well as speculating about characters by going forward, it might be interesting to go back too. Hence, Yuuki-san being the subject of this first story (though of course, here he is not technically Yuuki-san yet). Kayo is the focus of the second story though.**

 **In terms of updating, since I already have a long on-going fic for another fandom, this will be more of a side project which, when updated, will do so on Sundays. There is also an added layer to this- the three chapters I'm putting up now, I drafted by hand as I started this idea while I was away on holiday. So all the stories in this collection will first be hand-drafted before typing up. But I can tell you now that at the time of launching this officially, the fourth story is finished in its by-hand version, and the fifth is in the middle of being written. So this will definitely be seen through to the end.**

 **So anyway, I hope you will enjoy this collection, and please leave some feedback!**


	2. Kayo Hinazuki, 1988

**Character: Kayo Hinazuki**

 **Year: 1988**

 **Title: What I Wished For**

* * *

It is a relief for her to finally be able to look forward again. To not avert her eyes at the sadness of her mother, sadness she feels nothing towards. It is a relief because it is finally, finally, it is all over. All of it.

And it is all because of this one boy, her classmate, who one day decided to start watching over her and has yet to stop. Even now, in the snow outside her house, as her mother is being led away and the adults talk amongst themselves about her, he watches over her. _My hero,_ she wants to say. But when they are standing facing each other, she finds she cannot. So instead, she smiles, and she thanks him. And the way he smiles back, she figures it amounts to the same thing anyway.

That moment is over soon too, anyway, and she turns away from her hero to get into the car, with her grandmother and her teacher, who will be taking her to her new home. Her new life. _Away from here, at last._ It has been something she has been longing for, to get away from here, this town and everything in it. Yet, for some reason, as soon as she is in the car, she climbs on the seat so she can look through the back window. Naturally, she can see him, standing next to his own mother. _If only I had a family like that…_

Seeing her look at him, he pulls on the mittens she had knitted for him for their birthday, and holds his hands up, showing off. So stupid, as always. It's a comforting sight. And as she keeps looking, the car starts to move, he waves at her first, and then starts to run behind them, keeping her in his sights for as long as possible, even as the car gradually begins to go faster. That's a comforting sight, too.

 _Miss me, he's going to miss me_ , she realises suddenly. She had always thought that when she finally managed to escape this place, when it became the town without her, that would be that. Nobody noticing, nobody caring. She had thought that was what she had wanted, more than anything. But now she is watching his form get gradually smaller and smaller, and she realises that now there is someone to notice and care that she isn't around anymore and that is weird to her.

When the car is finally too fast for him to run after it, when she is too far away to see him, her grandmother coaxes her to sit down and clip on her seatbelt, which she does. She wonders what her new life will be like. It's been a long, long time since she's seen her grandmother, but she remembers that wide, kind face and those gnarled yet somehow soft hands that are covering hers, trying to reassure her. It is something she appreciates, but after giving her grandmother a smile (a _smile_ , something she thought she'd never be able to do again and yet something she has found herself doing over and over in the recent few weeks), she just looks through the window and thinks.

She thinks that a town without her maybe was not such a good thing to wish or. Ever since he started talking to her, she had found things she had liked about this place. Even if the things were actually people, but that in itself was a miracle. A huge miracle for someone like her, only ever side-lined or kicked around. But it had been real, and lasting, and all down to him. And so, by the time her wish had come true, she'd had a completely new one instead: to be able to keep on being happy.

And that, she realises with a new-dawning warmth, was all down to him as well.

So when her grandmother taps her shoulder and tells her that they are nearly there, and when she asks if she is alright, she is able to smile freely and say yes. And she is able to look excitedly upon the place she will now get to live in, and enter bravely. Because she is safe, she is free, and her second wish, her new one, will be one that will also come true because of this.

And this time, she knows this for sure.


	3. Miyabi Kujou, 1989

**Character: Miyabi Kujou (OC)**

 **Year: 1989**

 **Title: Haunted by a Hero**

 **Anything else?: My reasoning for putting this in 1989 was as follows: The school years in Japan mean that Satoru's fifth grade was from Apr 1987-Mar 1988, meaning the next fifth grade straight after that would be Apr 1988- Mar 1989. If I had done this story such that Miyabi's fifth grade class was the one directly below Satoru's, her story would have taken place in the same _calendar_ year as the Kayo story last chapter (since Miyabi's story is in the earlier part of her _school_ year), and one thing about this story I didn't want is two stories to occur in the same calendar year, even if school ones overlapped. So I altered Miyabi's history a little, and thus she is in the fifth grade after the one directly below Satoru's.**

* * *

One day, just a few weeks after fifth grade had started, Miyabi's classmate Kitabayashi brought in a book of various real-life and fictional scary stories into school to show off to everyone.

"It belongs to my older sister," he boasted. "She reads all sorts of cool things like this."

"It looks really scary!" Ueno squealed as she shoved others past to see it. A couple of the others joined in, and Miyabi rolled her eyes.

"Of course it does!" Ikeda returned in kind. "You're just _girls_!"

"C-can we look through it?" One of Miyabi's friends-Yoshiko-enquired, stopping the argument that might have broken out. All of a sudden, everyone wanted to take a look through Kitabayashi's (or rather, his sister's) book. And naturally, Kitabayashi was enjoying the attention, so he agreed. But just as he had opened out the book on his desk, their teacher came in and commanded everybody to their desks.

"If you want to look at Kitabayashi-kun's book, then you can wait until break time." She said in response to the protests. Once again, Miyabi rolled her eyes. Like the rest of them, any excuse to wriggle out of a lesson and have fun was needed, but even so, the teacher made perfect sense- the book would still exist at break time and lunchtime, after all.

And sure enough, when break time did eventually come, nearly everybody crowded around Kitabayashi's desk, regaling each other with the scary things they found within its pages. Miyabi herself was not interested, but as Yoshiko had an almost transparent crush on Kitabayashi, she and her other two friends Mariko and Hitomi were dragged over anyway. And so she found herself listening to stories about everything from _youkai_ to mysterious car accidents to unsolved murders and avenging ghosts wandering the earth. Certainly not the type of book that Miyabi thought a teacher would approve of. Probably best that they had kept it until break time in that case. But despite herself, she gradually found herself growing more interested in the stories, particularly the ones relating to the avenging ghosts for some reason, and so she decided to pay more attention to what the others were saying.

"But what if a person ends up dying somewhere that nobody else would usually go to anyway?" Hitomi was asking. "Who would they be able to haunt then?"

"I...I don't know. I don't know." Kitabayashi frowned.

"Maybe they could just pretend-haunt things?" Shimada suggested.

"That doesn't even make _sense_!" Nakano protested.

"Hey, wasn't there that story about that ghost at sea who haunted his hometown because they all hated him?" Tatsuya asked, reaching over to flip a few pages back and find out.

"Oh, the English sailor!"

"Yeah, that one!"

They started to babble for a moment about English sailors and where ghosts go until Yoshiko piped up with another attempt to impress Kitabayashi (at least, that's what Miyabi thought it was supposed to be).

"So I guess that a ghost could haunt either the place where they died or the places where they used to spend a lot of the time in their lives in?"

"What, like school?" Miyabi deadpanned. Everyone stared at her, and she realised that this had been her first contribution to the entire conversation. Averting her eyes for a moment to recover from her embarrassment, she felt herself blush a little.

"Kujou's right!" Ikeda proclaimed. "We spend too much time here anyways. If I died and became a ghost, I'd want to haunt here."

"What, to annoy the teachers?" Ueno asked.

"Sure."

"If it was me, I'd haunt all the mean kids in the school!" Hitomi said.

"I would, too!" Nakano agreed. Her bright eyes glittered at the thought. Miyabi had no idea why. Most likely relating to something that had happened before she'd even arrived in the town, no doubt.

"What if there's a ghost in this school, right now?" Tatsuya asked.

"Is there really one?" Ueno wondered.

"Well, there must be people who once went to this school who are dead now, right, Ueno-san?" Miyabi pointed out. Ueno frowned.

"But they would be all old, right?"

"Not everyone in that book was old when they died though."

"So there could be someone in this school who is haunting us because they died young? Like, our age?" Ikeda asked.

Gasps went around from all of them.

"But that would be awful." Yumi piped up, putting into words what they all thought. They all nodded soberly. Kitabayashi frowned at his book for a moment, and then looked up at them, eyes bright and mischievous.

"I can find out!" he declared. "I can look for stuff and see if anybody who died recently once attended this school!"

"Oooh, will you tell us if you find anything?!" Yoshiko gasped. Kitabayashi nodded and then gave Yoshiko a thumbs-up, utterly oblivious to how it made her blush and beam. Miyabi could not resist the urge to roll her eyes again, but nobody noticed, and her annoyance was soon replace by curiosity, and a little excitement too. Even the teacher coming in and signalling the end of break time could not dampen that.

 **…**

Surprisingly, it only took Kitabayashi a few days to find a story about someone who had attended their school and died, and a recent one too. To top it all off, the person-a boy- had been in their grade at the time. Over many lunchtimes, break times and even a few snatched moments at the beginning and the end of the day, Kitabayashi and his partner-in-crime Ikeda supplied them with more facts, little snippets of the boy's story. He had been 11 years old. He had died in March. He had fallen into a lake. He had been trapped in a crashed car. He'd been stalking a girl and had lost his way. He had been trying to find a lost basketball. He was going to retrieve something from the hideout he used to share with his friends. He had been a kidnapper. He was trying to catch a kidnapper. Miyabi didn't believe all of these, for she felt that somewhere between the truth and her classmates, these facts had become exaggerated in some ways, and with a scientist father and a journalist uncle, she knew the importance of being wary of tall tales, and this particular story seemed to have all the ingredients of a tall tale. And that was all it was to Miyabi- a story. Interesting, intriguing, somewhat scary and a little sad too. A story of no real connection to them. No issue whatsoever. But one day Ikeda came in with a name for this boy, and a birthday as well. Satoru Fujinuma, born on March 2nd, 1977.

"Hey, Miyabi-Chan, isn't that your birthday?" Hitomi called to her as she arrived in the classroom that morning. Miyabi frowned, finding the question random.

"Yes, it is."

"Oh. My. God." Ueno clapped her hands to her mouth. "Kujou-san, you have the same birthday as Satoru Fujinuma!"

"Rightt…."

Miyabi dumped her bag on her desk and turned to stare at Ikeda.

"That's _definitely_ the name and birthday of our ghost?"

"Yup. Scary coincidence, huh? You afraid, Kujou?"

"No, not really."

"But how come? He has the exact same birthday as you! You're the only one in the class with that birthday."

"So?" Miyabi huffed. "It's not that weird to share a birthday. There are loads of people in the world so we obviously share birthdays with loads of complete strangers, Hitomi! That, and he's two years older than us, so the birthdays aren't exactly the same!"

Hitomi pouted at this but didn't pursue it further. Ikeda, on the other hand, kept needling her to the extent that she had to threaten to throw a book at his head if he did not stop. It worked for a while, until others came in and Ikeda gleefully told them about the discovery instead. Then, they were _all_ needling her about it, and she could hardly throw books at all of them. It was a relief when the school day actually started, for by then she was ready to pull her hair out.

By the time the first lesson had ended, she had stuffed about twenty different notes asking her about her 'link' to Satoru Fujinuma, all hastily scrunched in her pocket so the teacher would not see. At lunchtime, she barely managed to get through her food, so bombarded she was by her classmates. It reminded her a little of the year before, when she had been a newbie and everybody had wanted to know about her. But this time, it was a lot more annoying. So much so, that when the end of the day finally rolled around, Miyabi rushed straight out and towards home without even bothering to wait for Hitomi, Yoshiko or Mariko.

 **…**

She thought that the whole birthday thing would be a one-day wonder, and so she resolved to put it behind her. But the class fascination with Satoru Fujinuma did not abate, and soon jokes relating to Miyabi being haunted by him became the new being thing. Once, when they were doing baseball in PE and her team lost, it was attributed to the ghost. When her chopsticks went missing one day, when the people seated near her lost their place in the book they were going through in a lesson, whenever something that reeked even only slightly of misfortune happened, it was always said to be because of Miyabi being haunted. Usually it would be Kitabayashi or Ikeda who instigated the jokes, always to her face, and the others always laughed along. Miyabi usually just rolled her eyes, but the sheer frequency of jokes meant that even that was too much effort.

But a few weeks later, Kitabayashi came into school with a piece of paper and beckoned Ikeda over. The two of them pored over it for ages and then both turned to stare holes into Miyabi.

"What?" she asked, eyebrow raised as she anticipated yet another joke. But none came. The two boys just stared at her, something surprised and almost fearful in the way they looked at her. For some reason, a snake of dread uncurled in Miyabi's belly.

"What?" she asked again.

Ikeda startled and turned guiltily to Kitabayashi. They refused to look at her again, or answer her, so she just huffed angrily and wet to greet Hitomi and Mariko, who had just arrived. She tried to put the weirdness out of her mind, but over the course of that day Kitabayashi and Ikeda snagged each and every one of her classmates and told them whatever it was that had been on Kitabayashi's paper. Soon, they were all staring at her in fear, and the jokes that had always been said to her face became taunts hidden behind hands and in sneaky glances. Most of the class began to keep their distance, and though Yoshiko, Hitomi and Mariko did not start to avoid her outright, they were visibly more nervous around her, and tried to keep their interactions to a minimum. It continued like this for about a month or so. The weather got warmer, but Miyabi rapidly got used to enjoying it alone, heading straight to the park and swinging on the swings before going home and pretending all was fine. But she had no idea why it was she had to do this. Whatever had caused them all to be scared of her she didn't even have a clue about. But she knew for sure that whatever it was, it had to be pretty big, or she wouldn't have been so isolated. So she needed to know.

Miyabi decided one day to wait until home time to find out. Yoshiko was always slow to pack her bag, even with the apparent threat of her being in the room, so Miyabi figured that if she slowed down too, then she could catch Yoshiko. And that particular day Hitomi had relatives to visit while Mariko had piano lessons. So she packed very slowly, watching her friend out of the corner of her eye as everybody rushed away, and when the only ones in the room apart from the two of them were three boys loudly discussing some anime or other, she strode over to Yoshiko and clamped a hand on her wrist.

"Tell me." She said, straight to the point. "Tell me why everyone's avoiding me."

Yoshiko squirmed a little and pulled a face.

"B-but don't you know?" she asked eventually. Miyabi groaned.

"No, I don't! You've all been avoiding me for five weeks at least! I haven't been told _anything_ , Yoshiko!"

Yoshiko bit her lip at this, looking slightly guilty. Then, she took a deep breath and met Miyabi's green eyes with her own pale hazel ones.

"The seat you're sitting in is the same one Satoru Fujinuma sat in before he died."

 **…**

That night, Miyabi had a nightmare.

 _She was sitting in her classroom, at her desk, the only one there. She looked around her, hoping to see at least one of her other classmates-even Ikeda or Kitabayashi- but she was all alone. But she could feel that something was coming, and sure enough, it did._

 _It was the smoky form of a boy around her age (or at least, her height), no facial features or anything distinctive, but the fact he moved towards her suggested that this was the ghost of Satoru Fujinuma. When he got to her (his?) desk, he opened his mouth, revealing an even darker void inside of him as he leaned in and spoke to her in a long, drawn out and hollow voice._

" _That's… my…..seat. Give…..it…back….I…I….want….to….."_

But Miyabi did not her what the ghost of Satoru Fujinuma wanted, because it was at that point she woke up, sitting up violently, and she clapped her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from screaming and waking up her parents and sister. It took what felt like an eternity for hr heart to stop hammering in her chest, and once it had, she wondered just what was wrong with her. She did not believe in ghosts, and the story surrounding this one (or rather, what she knew of the story) was particularly crazy.

Yet…

She knew that the basis of the story was true. March 1988, while she had been a third grader in a completely different school in a completely different town, a boy named Satoru Fujinuma had fallen into a freezing lake. He had attended the same elementary school she was now in, and had the same birthday as her. And of course, he had once sat in the seat she now occupied in the very same classroom. All of that was true, she was sure of it. But the rest of it she was less sure of. Had he really been following a girl when he had drowned? Did that mean he had his eye on her now? Was she really being haunted? Miyabi yawned as these thoughts raced through her head. She had no idea of anything. She just needed to sleep.

And thankfully, eventually, she did.

 **…**

"Are you alright, Miyabi? You look as if you didn't get any sleep at all."

"I'm okay, Mum." Miyabi yawned through a mouthful of breakfast. Her si9ster gave her an odd look from over the table.

"You weirdo." She commented eventually.

"I'm not a weirdo!" The words came out more forcefully than she had intended, and she bit her lip. It was certainly a good thing she hadn't said anything about the ghost or her nightmare, as then she'd be proven a liar in that sense.

"Honoka, Miyabi, don't cause a ruckus at the breakfast table, please." Their father sighed before their mother could say anything. Honoka just rolled her eyes, but Miyabi was abashed, staring at her bowl until she had summoned up the energy to eat the rest.

Once breakfast was finished, she was out of the house before anyone had a chance to look at her more closely and therefore ask more questions. She wasn't really sure she'd be able to live with questions. After all, part of why she had said nothing in the first place was because she knew full well that her family didn't believe in ghosts. So telling them was certainly not an option now, and as a result she was not sure what to do, and she thought about this as she walked to school. But as she did so, feeling the rays of the sun on her skin, she started to wonder if she was not overthinking. It was just like the things with the birthday, after all. Her class and Satoru Fujinuma's class were not the only fifth graders to have occupied that room. There was a whole year between them, another fifth grader would have definitely sat in the same seat just before her. And if Satoru Fujinuma had been haunting those who had taken that seat, why hadn't they been haunted too? Surely that would have come up in Kitabayashi and Ikeda's diggings?

"That makes sense, doesn't it?" she murmured to herself as she climbed up the stairs.

"Did you hear that?! Kujou's talking to herself!"

"It's the first sign of madness, talking to yourself! At least, that's what my mum says!"

"So that means that she really _is_ haunted!"

Ikeda, Tatsuya and Hara clattered by, laughing uproariously. Miyabi stopped in her tracks, watching them fade away. She gripped the straps of her backpack, feeling the leather dig into her skin. Her hands shook violently as she did this and stared straight ahead. She did not move again until some second graders started to gawk at her. Then, she rushed upstairs, feeling as if she had flown up the stairs as she had taken two steps at a time to make up for lost time. This flurry of activity stirred up a new rush of anger in her and she decided there and then that she would confront Kitabayashi (or Ikeda, either was fine) about the fifth grader between Satoru Fujinuma and herself. But once again that disappeared when she entered the room and everything fell silent as they shuffled uncomfortably and either stared straight at her with undisguised fear or simply averted their eyes. Hitomi and Yoshiko were amongst these ones, and they gave her a weak smile and an awkward wave, which she lapped up easily, lost as she was. So after smiling back at them, she went straight to her (his?) desk and sat there, unpacking her things and concentrating very solidly on this until the school day started.

For the rest of the day, instead of trying to reach out to her classmates as she had tried to do so initially, Miyabi kept to herself. Her teacher gave her a few odd looks at this, noticing something was not right, but did not ask about it and thus Miyabi said nothing to her. And at the end of the day, rather than trying to catch the eye of one of her friends and get a reluctant smile from them, she decided to just avoid them straight out and make things easier for them, and she went straight home to do her homework. Her mother made a comment about how she could have stayed out a little to play first as the weather was so nice. But Miyabi ignored her. Maybe the weather was nice, but the way she was now, it did not feel like it. In fact, it may as well have been the winter in which Satoru Fujinuma had fallen into the lake.

 **…**

She continued to have variations on the same nightmare night after night, and the days in between this felt much the same- her classmates avoiding her out of fear and whispering behind her back, her friends avoiding her but not quite fully avoiding her. Miyabi tried to be brave about it-after all, she was 10 years old, she could deal with things- but after about another week and a bit of isolation, taunts and utterly broken sleep, she'd had enough.

"Do you know what?" she said to Mariko during one of the rare times they actually interacted. "I'm going to ask Kasai-sensei if I can change seats. Then you can't say I'm haunted anymore!"

"You could try that." Mariko agreed hurriedly and eagerly, head nodding rather like the cat statue Miyabi's mother kept in the living room. Miyabi just sighed and turned away rather pointedly to let Mariko said, and once she had, she reflected on what she had said. It seemed obvious to her that all her troubles were all to do with this seat, so if she wasn't in it any more, all would be fine. So, as soon as the school day had ended and everybody left to go home or wherever it was they were off to, she rushed to accompany her teacher to the staff room.

"Did you want to talk to me about something, Kujou-san?" she asked when they got there.

"Yes!" Miyabi almost exploded. "I'd like to move seats please, sensei!"

Her teacher raised an eyebrow, and then pulled out the seating plans and studied them.

"What's wrong with this seat? Is it too far back? Or is somebody bullying you? I've noticed that the class suddenly started avoiding you over the past few months, and you don't talk to Hanaki-san, Ono-san or Kawamura-san anymore. So is it something to do with that?"

Miyabi found herself ready to blurt out the entire story, ghosts, nightmares and all. But something held her back, so she simply nodded instead.

"I see." Her teacher studied the seating plan once more, and then waited. It did not take Miyabi long to realise that she was waiting for an explanation.

"Everyone's afraid because my desk is haunted! I mean, they believe it is!"

"And what about you? Do _you_ believe it is haunted?"

"I…" before, Miyabi would have definitely said no, and would have meant it to. But now, she had no idea whatsoever. She just wanted it to all stop. But apparently, her hesitation meant that she _did_ believe, for her teacher sighed in annoyance and put away the seating plans.

"Kujou-san, I thought you were a sensible girl. I didn't think that you would believe in things like that. In any case, I will not move you from your seat, nor have anyone swap with you, because there is no real problem that requires me to do that. "

Miyabi wondered how, exactly, that helped with the fact that she was still getting avoided. And she wanted to challenge her teacher, yell the name 'Satoru Fujinuma' at her and see what happened. But as she was meant to be sensible, she simply bowed and thanked her before leaving.

Once past the school gates, still furious and more than a little lost in herself, she stopped and looked at the sky. Briefly, she wondered if Satoru Fujinuma had ever looked to the sky, like she was doing at that moment, and tried to imagine it. And then she realised something critical.

She did not know what he looked like.

 **…**

In the library, Miyabi found it relatively easy to locate where they kept old newspapers. And to her joy, they had ones from last year, too. She decided to take the detail about Satoru Fujinuma's drowning having taken place in March (so between his birthday and the end of the school year) as a solid fact, and squirreled out papers from around that time, and began to look through them. Soon, she had found a date-March 15th, and went to put all papers between then and the 2nd back, before continuing her search. As soon as she caught sight of his name, she left each paper open at the relevant page, intending to read everything through one at a time, one after the other, once she had found all she could find. Once she had done this, she snagged the first paper, containing an article that screaming 'Boy, 11, found trapped in car pushed into lake' and was just about to begin reading it when a shadow darkened the page. Surprised, she looked up to see an older girl frown down at her.

"Why are you looking up Fujinuma? "She asked.

Miyabi gaped at her. The girl was a middle schooler, wearing the uniform of the school Honoka went to, but this girl looked to be a bit younger than Honoka. Her hair was a medium brown and tied into two short ponytails, with a slightly tousled fringe somewhat obscuring her forehead. Her eyes were a similar shade to this hair, and right at that moment, they skewered Miyabi. Uncomfortable, she squirmed.

"Let me ask you again-why are you looking up Fujinuma? Do you know him from somewhere?"

"Don't you mean 'did'?" Miyabi blurted before she could stop herself. The girl blinked, then pursed her lips before sitting down opposite her.

"How about you answer my question and then I try answering yours?"

"I…don't personally know him…." Miyabi started. "But, I, um….he went to Mikoto Elementary School too."

"Ah. What year are you in, squirt?"

"Fifth?"

"So you would have been nearing the end of third grade when this happened. I didn't think that the story had even reached down that far at the time."

"I wasn't even there at the time! I only transferred here during fourth grade, and I only found out about Satoru Fujinuma and how he died recently!"

"Died?" The girl's eyebrow twitched almost dangerously at this, and Miyabi squirmed. But the next response was unexpected.

"I don't know where else you're getting your information from, but Fujinuma is not dead."

"I…." Miyabi blinked. "So he isn't haunting me?"

"What the hell are you talking about? He isn't a ghost, so of course not!"

"But…" Miyabi spluttered.

"So the whole reason you're looking him up was because you think he's haunting you?!"

"Well…sort of. My desk at school is the same one he used to sit at. One of my classmates likes scary things and then….then they found out about Satoru Fujinu-I mean, Fujinuma-sempai and that we share seats and birthdays and now my class are pretty much avoiding me…."

"Well, they're stupid, aren't they?" the girl snorted. But then her expression smoothed out and became sad, almost bitter. "But still, how ironic that he's done the same to you that he did to me, more or less, and just as inadvertently."

"What do you mean?" Miyabi wanted to know.

"That's none of your business, But….on the day he almost drowned, he was trying to reverse that, as it were. He'd already befriended another girl in the class who was really alone and in trouble because of it, in order to help her, so….yeah." the girl shrugged. "Somehow, I think if he was haunting you in some way, it would just to be to make sure you weren't lonely. Not that he's haunting you in the first place, because he isn't even dead."

"Oh." Miyabi said, not sure what to think.

"Yeah, exactly."

There was an awkward silence for a while, and then the girl got up.

"Well, I don't have anything else to tell you that won't be in those newspapers, because anything else isn't your business really, rumoured hauntings or otherwise. But I hope your class sees sense soon."

"That's fine. And thanks!"

Despite the oddness of the encounter, Miyabi strangely felt lighter than she had done for weeks. The girl gave her a half-smile before leaving. Once she had completely disappeared, after a moment of clueless blinking, Miyabi knuckled down to scan the newspapers before going home.

 **…**

 _She was in the classroom again, sitting in her (his?) seat again, and once again, Satoru Fujinuma was there. But this was not a nightmare, and so he was not a shapeless form. Rather, he was just a boy, of her age, with tousled dark hair and friendly dark eyes and an open, warm face that smiled straightforwardly at her. He looked around the classroom for a while first though, and she watched him too. As she did, her mind built a clearer image of him based on what she had learnt of him, and what he had been doing the day he had nearly drowned by an unknown person and ended up in a coma because of it, on the 15_ _th_ _of March the year before. And though she knew this was just a dream, she thought it best to ask him about this, get some kind of conformation._

" _Are you trying to be a knight? No, wait, I mean, a superhero? Are you trying to be a superhero? Do you think you are one?" she asked, changing the question to take into account that, well, he was a boy._

 _He blinked at her, then went a little pink before saying something in response, smiling just as candidly as he had in the photographs she'd seen in the papers. But because she did not know what his voice was like (she couldn't ever know that) he spoke only silence. Still, as the scene began to fade away, she felt fairly sure that the words he had said to her were 'I want to be'. 'Want' rather than 'wanted' for he was not dead, and certainly not a ghost. And she was happy about that._

When she woke up from the dream, it was morning, and her mind was clear. It was still rather early, so she did not get up immediately, but just lay there for a while. The face she had memorised the evening before floated for a moment in her memory, followed by that of the middle school girl she had met. Miyabi wondered for a moment what that girl's relationship with Fujinuma was, but she let it go. She would try to forget this now, put it behind her and return things to how they were before. But before she did that, she would need to try and set things straight once and for all.

 **…**

When she got into school, around half the class were there, and as usual, they froze when she came in. She rolled her eyes at them and then continued to her desk, starting to unpack her things, as usual. Kitabayashi and Ikeda were not amongst those who were there, but she just waited. As she did, Hitomi, Mariko and Yoshiko came through the door.

"Mariko! Yoshiko! Hitomi! Good morning!" she called out for the first time in ages. Her three friends stopped and blinked.

"O-Oh! Good M-morning!" Yoshiko chirped back after an awkward pause.

"Yeah, hello. Didn't you say you were going to get a seat move?" Mariko asked, wrinkling her face.

"I was…." Miyabi shrugged and pulled a self-deprecating face. Hitomi nodded.

"Did Kasai-sensei refuse?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh, that's too bad. Aren't you worried?"

"Why would I be?"

"Well, the longer you stay…." Yoshiko trailed off.

"Pffft. Why would I be haunted by a person who isn't even dead?"

Her three friends all gawked at her. Yoshiko's jaw dropped open, and Miyabi had to stifle a laugh.

"Not dead?" Mariko echoed.

"But K-Kitabayashi-kun said…"

"Yeah, well, he's wrong!" Miyabi raised her voice as Kitabayashi came in, Ikeda close behind. "If he and Ikeda-kun had properly checked, they'd know that Satoru Fujinuma was rescued before he could actually die, so although he is in a coma, he is definitely alive and so _not a ghost_!"

"Oh." Mariko said.

"That's weird. But good, I guess?" Ueno, who had been eavesdropping, spoke up.

"Yeah!" Hitomi agreed. "It's kinda sad to think that someone our age died like that so it's good to know that he didn't! That and it means you're not haunted anymore."

"….I wasn't haunted in the first place." Miyabi retorted.

"Yeah, I guess that must be true…"

And just like that, they started talking again as if recent events hadn't happened. Kitabayashi made a few annoyed comments, which some of the others agreed with, but most others didn't. Either way, Miyabi ignored all that. It was not such a big deal. And so, she let the image of the hero emblazoned in her mind slip away to wherever it was he was really needed.


	4. Yuu Harada, 1992

**Character: Yuu Harada (OC)  
Year: 1992  
Title: Walk By**

* * *

 _I really don't want to have to go to the high school. It's awkward._ Normally, Yuu wouldn't need to go there, the most he really needed to do was to look after his little brother Nobu, who was still only in the first grade. But today, they had to go there to wait for their big sister Tomomi, as their parents were going on a work trip for a whole month and they were going to stay at their grandparent's house the whole time. So they'd been ordered to go straight to Tomomi's high school after they themselves had finished, and then go to their grandparents' all together. _It's such a pain._ Yuu just knew that they'd all see him as a little kid there, which he wasn't. Nobu was definitely little, but he wasn't, and knowing that he'd be seen like that was utterly embarrassing.

 _Ugh,_ he thought as they walked in the opposite direction to everyone else leaving the building, _I want to get this over and done with._

"Nobu! You're being slow!" he complained to his little brother.

"Nii-Chan, I wanna go and by some sweets! I have pocket money Mama gave me before leaving with Papa!"

"No! They said to go straight to Onee-san's school. Maybe afterwards we can go."

"Aww, but pocket money…."

"I know that!" Yuu snapped. "I got mine too, you know."

"Oh, right." Nobu thought about that for a moment, then suddenly brightened up and started to babble about things that had happened in his classroom. Yuu let him, simply nodding every so often and making sure to hold his hand when they had to cross the road. When they got to the high school, there were students streaming out. Yuu looked for Tomomi, but did not see her.

But he did spot a small group of students standing near the outside wall of the school. They had big boxes hung around their necks, and one particularly large looking boy had a loudspeaker which he used to call people over, while the others relied upon the loudness of their voices alone. _What are they doing?_ Yuu tugged at Nobu's hand and went a little closer. He watched some passing adults-two men and woman-stop and regard the text on the pieces of paper. One of the girls, her dark brown hair half captured in a ponytail with the rest of it left down, stepped forward and started to explain things, pointing to the display board they had up behind them as she did so. After a moment, one of the men dropped some notes into the girl's box, and the woman and the other man followed suit. The girl thanked them profusely as they left. Yuu watched this pattern more or less repeat itself a few times with the other box-wielding students.

Why are they getting lots of money from people?" Nobu wanted to know.

"I think it's for someone in hospital." Yuu replied, not really looking at his brother, so drawn he was to the flurry these high school students were causing.

"Why, to be helpful?"

"I guess so." Yuu shrugged.

"But then if I did that, I wouldn't have money left for sweets!"

"Nobody's asking _you_ to!"

"You don't have to be mean, Nii-Chan. Oh, look, Tomo-nee-Chan's here!"

Nobu tugged at his hand and pointed. Sure enough, their sister was coming out of the building, sauntering casually with another girl. That girl zipped off in the other direction, and soon after, Tomomi spotted them.

"Ah, you made it here safely!" she joked, grabbing them both in a headlock. Yuu spluttered and wriggled away, but Nobu just giggled until Tomomi let go.

"So, are you two ready to go to Grandpa and Grandma?"

"Yeah!" Nobu said. "I hope they make casserole again! And, Tomo-nee-Chan, can I go buy sweets with my pocket money?"

"Is food all you think about, Nobu?" Tomomi laughed. "But yeah, there's a shop on the way, so go for it!"

"Woo-hoo!" Nobu whooped, jumping as they started to walk.

"Hey, Nakanishi-san, you doing the fundraising again?" Tomomi stopped unexpectedly to talk to the girl with the long dark hair. To Yuu and Nobu, she said.

"Wait a moment, okay guys?"

"Aww." Nobu pouted. Yuu sighed in a similar sort of annoyance, but while Tomomi chatted to the girl, he continued to watch the other students asking for money. _They are trying to help someone._

To Yuu's eyes, they seemed well practised at this, as if they had been doing this for a long, long time. As if whatever or whoever they were doing this for was something or someone they cared about. And the more he watched them, the more certain he was of this. So as Tomomi continued to chat to the girl- Nakanishi- he took off his school bag and opened it, rootling around for the pouch he had put his pocket money in. Once he had it in his hand, he put his bag back on and after a small moment of hesitation, he walked up to one of the boys, and before he could think too much about it, he dropped all his pocket money in.

"Oh!" the boy, who had gentle eyes and a slightly girlish look about him, gaped in astonishment. "Thank you!"

"No problem!"

"Yuu! What are you doing over there?"

"Don't worry, Harada-san! Your little brother just donated some money for Satoru-kun!"

" _Yuu_ did?!" Tomomi gawped.

"Onee-san, why do you look so surprised?"

"I'm not….ah, never mind." Tomomi laughed. "See you later, guys!"

"Bye!" they all chorused.

"Thanks again, Harada-san!" Nakanishi said as they finally walked away and started to make their way to their grandparents' place.

"Onee-san, did you give them money too?" Yuu asked. Tomomi nodded.

"Yeah, sure."

"Why?" Nobu asked.

"Well…." Tomomi seemed to think very deeply. "Those guys are mu classmates, great people. And Nakanishi-san, she was in my class back in elementary-when I was your age, Yuu, actually. And as for Fujinuma-kun, the one they are raising money for, he was their friend too. I didn't know him, but Nakanishi-san did. As for Sugita-kun, Kobayashi-kun and the others you saw, he was their really good friend. Their best friend. And what happened to Fujinuma-kun was really horrible, you know? Well, not that you'd know, given you're both little. But if something horrible like that had happened to one of my own friends I'd definitely be trying to help raise money to help their family with hospital costs and….yeah, stuff like that. So it's really just because I couldn't just walk by and ignore all that."

Yuu and Nobu were both left blinking at Tomomi's words.

"Tomo-nee-Chan, you rambled." Nobu eventually announced. This made Tomomi bark out a laugh.

"Yeah, I guess so." She agreed. "But Yuu, I'm still kinda surprised that you decided to give them some funds too. How come you did that?"

"Yeah!" Nobu nodded earnestly. "You gave them your pocket money! Why?!"

Yuu didn't say anything for a while. _Why did I do that? It's not like it affected me._ He brought to mind the faces of Tomomi's classmates, boxes around necks and loud voices appealing, their notices explaining about their friend in hospital. And eventually he just gave Tomomi and Nobu a sheepish grin and the only answer he could think of.

"I guess I couldn't just walk by either."


	5. Airi Katagiri, 2000

**Character : Airi Katagiri**

 **Year : 2000**

 **Title : Dreams**

 **Anything else: This is an extreme drabble fest, just as an advance warning. **

* * *

**Replies to Guest Reviews:**

 **Ewen (Story 2: Kayo Hinazuki): I've read the manga, so yeah, I'm familiar with the fact that Kayo comes back originally. I suppose I could have done her story from that perspective, but I didn't think of it at the time. In any case, I am glad you liked it anyway, so thanks for the review!**

* * *

It made me really happy this morning, looking up at the sky and seeing how blue it was, how bright the sun was. I always find it a little strange that it can be so pretty out, even though it is so cold. Usually, cold means the sun is hidden away beneath clouds in all different types of grey. Sometimes it just sort of looks as if the sky is made of a weird kind of paper. And then in the moment that the snow falls out of the sky, things get a little more interesting. It's usually like that with the rain, too, but most of the time when it's raining I'm too busy trying not to get wet.

But today, the sky was blue, the sun was out and the snow was still there. It wasn't the first time I'd seen clear skies in the winter, but it was interesting to me, because it seemed almost contradictory to me. I sometimes thought that if nobody else was here, that if I was the only one to see such a kind of sky, then they wouldn't believe me. But of course, the sky is there for all to see, so I know for sure that they can't not believe me.

Still, it is kind of different. It is not different in the way sunrises and sunsets somehow always manage to be, and I know that nothing could ever beat the way the sky looks at night with all those stars out, or even how that same night sky looks when it is fireworks instead, like during the summer festival or the recent New Year. There were extra fireworks this time too, because of it being the beginning of a new millennium, and so that sky signalled a new beginning, which made it even more beautiful. But this cold bright sky is one I like a lot too, and because of it, I can't stop looking out the classroom window. Though I've been told off for doing this before, I really can't help myself, especially not when it is as special as this.

I don't have a way of capturing this sky, that's the thing. Though I am saving up my pocket money to get a camera as quickly as possible, I'm nowhere near the cost yet, so the only way to capture this sky is really to just keep looking at it, until it bores itself into my memory, so that I don't forget it. Because that's what you're supposed to do with the things that are precious to you. I don't think that there's anything wrong with that.

Still, as I do this, I am still careful to not get caught anyway, because if that happens, despite the fact I'm just trying to remember, I'll get told off for daydreaming and then I'll have to stop, and I don't want to. I want to keep looking at this sky, this crisp wintery blue sky. I don't even _get_ why there has to be a distinction between daydreams and the dreams that you dream at night while asleep. My dream, the dream I am always thinking of when I see fireworks or sunsets or icy sunshine like today's, is the dream to capture the images of these skies with the camera I will one day tote around with me, like a friend. It is not just a dream that I have now, in this classroom as my teacher drones and my classmates and friends stifle yawns. It's not just a dream that I have at night when I am asleep. It's one I carry with me all the time, wherever or whenever I am. It's important to me, after all, and that's another thing you do with such things. You keep them close.

I suppose, in a way, it is just like the camera that I am saving up for. Though it is not real yet, it will be once I have enough to buy it. And all the different skies that I've been able to see, they're real too, and will be real even after I get the camera. There may even be whole new different skies for me to see once I have a camera to capture them with. Actually, I _know_ there will be, as even though some skies are similar, they are never exactly the same.

This is the future I see for myself, getting to see and experience and love all these different skies as I take my camera around the world with me to share this with me, like a friend. This is the future I dream about, and that I know I will be able to make come true (because every time I see a special sky like todays, I know this). So, no matter what, I will keep dreaming, whether it is in the day or in the night.


	6. Kumi Kitamaru, 2005

**Character: Kumi Kitamaru**

 **Year: 2005  
** **  
Title: Middle Ground**

 **Anything Else?: This relates more to the manga version of Kumi, so there might be spoilers as a result, as well as some references to events you do not recognise, if you are an anime-only viewer. Also, the aim of this was to be like a composition essay, like the two we see in the series (Kayo's 'The Town Without Me' and Satoru's 'My Hero'). **

* * *

_Middle Ground by Kumi Kitamaru_

Sometimes, I wish I could forget everything. And at other times, I want to remember all of it. But mostly, I want both of these things to happen at the same time, and that confuses me.

After what happened to me in the summer, most of the adults I know were quick to comfort me and hug me and tell me that 'it will all be okay' a lot. It was nice of them, because even though I was safe now, I was still a little scared. It is scary, after all, to know that perhaps if one or two or more things had gone wrong then perhaps I could have died.

It was the same when I was ill and had to stay in the hospital. I had the treatments, and my sister gave me her bone marrow, and all of that went fine in the end. But until it actually happened, I was scared. Scared that perhaps it could have gone wrong, that I really would not be okay- I was scared of that being true.

And then, with what happened in the summer, even though Satoru-san was helping to catch the man who did it and was able to do that, even though Sachiko-san found me and kept me safe, even though I saw the bad man get defeated by these good friends of mine with my very own eyes, I was scared.

Apparently, it's okay for me to feel like that. It was a scary thing to happen to me, everyone who made sure that I was okay afterwards agreed. And Sachiko-san and Satoru-san admitted being scared throughout it all too. But now that it is over, it sort of feels like that I need to forget all of that. The murderer got arrested, I am alive and I am healthy. Nothing for me to worry about.

Which means moving on. But I don't think that is completely right. For me to just forget, I mean.

I mean, I was scared, and it was the worst possible feeling. And I have had it twice already and I think that's quite enough already, really. So maybe it would be good to let it slip from my memory and just enjoying the rest of my life without ever being that scared again.

But at the same time, it happened to me. It's part of my life story, the things that happened to me. These things, my illness and the summer, they are part of me. And during these times, I learnt how to be brave: by picturing the smiles of those who love you, and remembering to smile yourself, too.

If I did try to forget the scary times, would I forget that too? And if I was to make sure I remembered every single detail, would I always be haunted by my fears?

It's a confusing thing to think about, I think. It's definitely a set of questions I don't know how to answer. I'm not even sure an adult would know the answer. And yet I still think about it. Because if there was a way I could both forget and remember, some sort of middle ground, then that's where I would choose to go. But is there such a thing as a middle ground? Of course, I don't know that either.

But I know I'd like to find out.

* * *

 **Since the halfway point of the collection has been reached, here's a little overview of where I am in terms of completing this collection: Stories 7, 8 and 9 have all been completed in their handwritten version, and Story 7 is the one that has a typed version in-progress. Also, there are two more canon characters who will be amongst the characters who feature in this collection. Any one want to guess who they are?**

 **Anyway, I hope you've been enjoying the collection thus far, and do leave feedback!**


	7. Isamu Shiratori, 2007

**Character : Isamu Shiratori**

 **Year : 2007**

 **Title : Having Two Homes/The First Snow**

 **Anything Else?: I know this is an unfamiliar name, but this character isn't an OC, he's Yuuki-san's son, but as he wasn't named in either the anime or the manga, I took it upon myself to give him a name. And as to why I chose 'Isamu'- it is supposed to mean 'bravery'. I think from there, the rest is more-or-less self explanatory. **

* * *

Isamu likes the snow.

Until recently-around two years ago to be exact-he had never seen snow. Not in real life, in any case. Where he'd spent the first eight years of his life, it had mostly been very sunny and warm. There had been some awful rainstorms, sure, but no snow. So seeing it had been quite a sight.

And sensation, too. He _knew_ snow was cold, but he hadn't quite expected to actually _feel_ the coldness. Nor did he realise how wet it was. His father showed him how to make snow bunnies and snow men, the same way that he had done once, when he had been Isamu's age. It was not quite the same as making sandcastles or being able to search for seashells, but he had a lot of fun.

Yet at first, he didn't really realise it. He hadn't wanted to come back here, to the place his father had come from. It looked and sounded different, there were different rules and different foods and different sorts of people. Though he knew the language of this new place and had always spoken it at home, it sounded very different when spoken by people like his father, people to whom the language belonged. And of course, he was conscious of being so much darker than everyone else at first. Though the children in his new class in his new school were actually quite nice and didn't seem to care, he felt as though he was a curiosity, something more outside and different, who did not belong.

And then the snowy season came, and Isamu watched this new country of his get blanketed in the most brilliant white that he had ever seen. He felt the coldness of it for the first time (and always remembered to put on his gloves and scarf after that), smelt it for the first time (though he decided _not_ to taste it) and watched his footprints track through it for the first time, and marvelled at how different from dusty, sandy bare-footed prints they were. He experienced it as yet another monumental difference, to add to all the ones he'd already listed in his mind.

But it wasn't just another difference, not really. Because in that snowy season, his father showed him how to make different things out of snow. He got to have a snowball fight at school for the first time in his life, and when his team won and they were all celebrating that win, it felt as if he really had made friends.  
And then the snowy season was when he met his father's friend, who came to his house with astonishing stories, memories that Isamu was no part of, and a box of gifts for him-manga comics and some toys. Though he could not really understand it and knew that this person came from a time before he existed (and even as he was more excited to look through the presents), somehow, watching this person, he felt a connection to his new home in his new country for the first time. The language suddenly felt smoother on his tongue. He started to care less about how his appearance contrasted with everybody else's. Soon, things became easier.

And this feeling remained, and became more so, even as the snowy season finally melted away and cherry blossoms formed on the tree. And with that ease, Isamu was more able to accept that this strange place, his father's country, was not really that strange, and that it was _his_ too. He became happier, and eventually, though he never managed to feel as though he had 'always' been there, he was proudly able to state that he came from two countries, that he had two homes, each equal parts of him. To him, all of this happened because of the first time he had seen the snow.

And this is why Isamu likes the snow,


	8. Daisuke Ogawa, 2011

**Character: Daisuke Ogawa (OC)  
Year: 2011  
Title: Getting better**

* * *

Monday  
I'm in the hospital again. Because I fainted last night, after another dizzy-headed spell, and my heart was beating too fast too, which is never a good thing. According to Natsumi, Mum and Dad were really panicking about me this time, and I feel a little bit bad about that, because this always happens. But mostly, I am annoyed, because now I have to stay here for a while, and I barely got through the _first week_ of the school year!

Tuesday  
Nothing much really happened today. I spent most of it sleeping. Mum was by my side the whole time, and Natsumi came in for a moment after school with Dad, but I fell asleep soon after they arrived, so I kind of wasted their time. Apparently, Dr Sugita came in a few times to check on me and ask questions about how I was feeling, but each time, I was asleep. As usual. This always happens when I am ill, and I hate it. I hate it. I hate it _so much_. Normal children don't get this ill this easily, after all.

Wednesday  
I'm having dinner soon (ergh, hospital food), but some things happened today. I managed not to fall asleep constantly, so Dr Sugita was able to come and check on me properly. I'm glad it was him, rather than any of the other doctors, because he never seems to mind when I complain about missing school or my friends and he's always just really friendly and smiley. Even when, like now, I really don't want to smile, he somehow makes me smile. And he did that today.

But anyway, when he came in to check on me, he said things didn't look too bad with me, and if it all went okay I wouldn't be here for too long (though really, it will be long, I think), but they'd have to do tests to make sure. And in the meantime, I'd need to stay here. It's more or less the same as always.

What else? Oh! I had more visitors. Not just Natsumi and Dad, but Sonosuke and the rest of the guys from school. Sonosuke brought his Nintendo in with him, and we played a few rounds, then messed around a little. Though Naoki had brought in school work that sensei had asked him to bring in, as well. But that didn't really bother me so much, because at least then maybe I won't fall behind so badly that I need to repeat the year. The fact I am here already is bad enough, I don't want more humiliation. Plus, the school work will give me something to do when I am awake and there's nothing good on the hospital TV or nothing to read and there's no-one visiting me. Just something to do. Man, I want to get out of here, fast.

Thursday  
Maybe it was just me, but the schoolwork felt too easy, and I breezed through most of it. It's still only early in the afternoon, so I don't know if Sonosuke, Naoki and the others will have more. I hope they come again though, so I can play with the Nintendo again. But even if they don't have games with them, at least I can complain to them. Mum and Dad don't get how it completely sucks to not be normal and they just say that I should be grateful to be alive and recovering and getting better and stuff. Like they always say. And Natsumi just thinks that getting a break from school is exciting. But none of that is true at all. I wish it wasn't, anyway. If I was a normal fifth-grader, I'd be in school right now.

I'm in a bad mood now, just thinking about all of that. It makes me a bit tired. Perhaps I should just go to sleep now, or something.

Friday  
Dr Sugita just finished doing another test on me. He didn't really tell me much about what was happening, but he did say that I was looking good, and Mum seemed happier once he had finished talking to her. And, he gave me a slice of chocolate brownie that one of his friends made him and it tasted _amazing_. I'm still munching up the last bits of it now.

Saturday  
Sonosuke and the others came to visit me this morning, but what was more interesting was that Aunt Miyabi came around. Her belly was starting to get bigger now, but it's still a few more months before my new cousin will be born. I told Aunt Miyabi that I hope it's a girl, because all my cousins are boys, so having a girl cousin would be more interesting. That, and it would mean that Natsumi would have someone to play with, rather than tagging along with us boys. She found that funny, and said that if the baby was a girl, I could name her. That's something for me to look forward to. And anyway, then we chatted about a whole lot of other things, and I told her how I felt about missing school and stuff. For a moment, I thought she'd tell me off, just like Mum would, because she frowned as I said all of this, but then she laughed and said that her 'fifth grade experience' (what a weird way of putting it) wasn't normal either. When I asked her what she meant, she told me that she'd spent a lot of her year all by herself because both she and her classmates believed that she was being haunted by the ghost of a boy who had drowned the year before (and who had sat in the seat she used in that classroom that year). And yes, this is the same Aunt Miyabi who doesn't believe in ghosts! But Dr Sugita came in at that time for another check-up, and so she didn't get to tell me the rest. And then she left before Dr Sugita had finished, anyway. But now, I wonder, what happened to her after the ghost though?

Sunday  
I felt kind of restless today. I played for a bit on my Nintendo (Mum brought it in for me yesterday!), but it was kind of boring without being able to battle my friends. Then I read for a bit, but that got boring too. And as I'd done all my schoolwork, I couldn't do that, either. Because I was allowed to get up and move around, I went and watched the people doing physical therapy for a while, watching them try their hardest to get better from whatever had made them ill. I'm not sure if they noticed me or not. Or if it mattered. If they had, and if it did, I might have told them that they're lucky that they can just get better through working hard, because I can't do that. Nope, I'm just struck down with bad luck, and it _sucks_.

Monday  
I might be able to go home! Either tomorrow, or the day after, I'll be allowed to go home. Dr Sugita just came in to tell me this. Mum and Dad and Natsumi were there too when he told me this, so they're happy, but I am obviously even happier because it means I will be able to go back to school again. Finally, some normalcy. I can't wait to see the faces of Sonosuke and the other guys when they come in and I tell them this! I'm getting better, after all. It's great news!

Another thing that made me kind of happy: Aunt Miyabi came in earlier as well, and I asked her to tell me what happened with her ghost. She said that he hadn't been a ghost after all, since he wasn't dead, but in a coma. And that apparently he woke up after fifteen years, and is perfectly fine now. Which made me think that if people can be asleep for that long and be fine, then maybe even though I am always missing school because of illness, there's still some hope for me too. I don't know if that's total nonsense or not, but I believe this. Because I am getting better now!


	9. Mirai Sugita, 2015

**Character: Mirai Sugita  
Year: 2015  
Title: Birthday**

* * *

It's my birthday tomorrow, and I can't wait. Can't sleep, even. I'll be 11, and though that isn't very exciting (unlike 10, which is the beginning of double digits) I'm pretty excited about it anyway.  
I'll probably be woken up really early by Yukie, because she's just grasped the concept of birthdays, so she goes crazy whether it is hers or someone else's, and then by the time she's stopped babbling at me and has actually got off my stomach, I'll need to get up anyway, for school.

And then, Mum will probably make pancakes for breakfast, because of them being my favourite, and I will get to eat as much as I want. I don't think Dad will be awake, because he had to work late at the hospital, but he will have probably left a present and a card for me on the table, and so I will open it while eating. And Yukie will 'help' me with that, obviously. Being so little, she enjoys it when she gets to 'help', so I'll just let her. Anyway, then it'll be a crazy rush of the usual kind as Mum gets Yukie ready for day-care and I find my coat and bag so we can all leave the house. But it'll be funny, of course.

Even though it will me my birthday, I don't think school will be any different. My friends all know, and they're coming back to my house for the party after school anyway, but yeah, school will be school. Still, the party will be fun, for sure. I'm not a big fan of party games or anything, but we'll play something. Perhaps in the garden, if it is nice. And naturally there'll be food, especially sandwiches. Mum makes really nice sandwiches, and she always says that they are the best thing to have when with friends and having fun. I think I agree with her about that, but either way, her sandwiches are awesome, and I am pretty sure that she will make some for the party.

I'll open presents after the party (and Yukie will 'help' me again, unless it's past her bedtime, which it probably will be), and if Dad doesn't have a late shift, then I'll be able to tell him everything about my day, and thank him for the present he left for me. Then, it'll be my bedtime, and then I'm pretty sure I will fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. Maybe. I'm wide awake right now, so I think that will be the case, most probably.

To most people, I don't think the way my birthday will go would sound like much. Meiko in my class, she always has huge parties in halls that her parents book for her birthday. Last year, she invited the whole class, and while it was okay, it wasn't great. I just prefer my birthdays to be how they usually are, with Mum, Dad, Yukie and my best friends, in my house, messing around and having fun (and eating lots of sandwiches). So like I said, I am pretty excited about my 11th birthday.

Now, all I need is for me to fall asleep, so that it can come along quicker.


	10. Ryouta Yoshitsune, 2018

**Character: Ryouta Yoshitsune (OC)  
Year: 2018  
Title: Just a Story**

* * *

When Ryouta went past the bookstore on the way to school that morning, he stopped rapidly, and then turned back to look at the store. More than a few people had to walk around him, much to their annoyance, but he barely noticed. He just thought of the three volumes of manga he had been waiting for. As luck would have it, all three of the series had released the new volumes just after his birthday, and so for once, he would be able to buy them himself, instead of asking his parents and hoping they could remember.

 _So….should I go now?_ He considered this. Usually, he wasn't one to make stops on the way to school-instead, he just went straight there. And it wasn't as if it would be impossible for him to go _after_ school instead. On the other hand, he did not want to wait, and it was still rather early. Even if he went into the shop now, he wouldn't be late for school, which was one of the main things to worry about. _Yes, it's decided!_

Grinning from ear to ear, he strode happily into the bookstore and headed straight to the manga section. There were no special promotional displays for any of the series he was looking to buy, and so he had to browse the shelves. _Like, really. They didn't even do a display for Fujinuma-sensei's series, even though he came from here and all that?_ It didn't matter too much though, as much as Ryouta was baffled by it, for really, as long as it hadn't gone out of stock already, such things didn't matter. So, mindful of the fact that he had to go to school, he hunkered down and got on with it. While he was doing this, he only heard one other person –or rather, two, given that that person seemed to have a little child with them-who seemed to know the cashier, as it didn't take long before he heard the woman chatting to the cashier, while her child babbled happily.

When Ryouta had successfully found all three books, he went up to the till. The woman and her child- a little girl who looked about two-was still there. She had purchased a book, which was swinging in a carrier bag she held, and now she just talked to the cashier. Ryouta tuned out the conversation they were having –it was just grown-up stuff, after all-but the little kid looked at him with huge brown eyes, finding him interesting. It was almost flattering, so he waved slightly as he put the books on the counter, and when the little kid giggled in response, it made him smile.

"Here's the money!" he told the cashier cheerfully as he pulled the wad of birthday money from his bag and held it out. Dutifully, the cashier smiled and took the money from him.

"You're really excited to read those, huh?"

 _Ehh?_

Ryouta jumped, not expecting that the woman would talk to him. But he pulled himself together, and nodded, though he was a little embarrassed at how flustered he got.

"I get that." The woman agreed. "It's like the wait is finally over, and now you have the actual physical volumes in your hand to read over and over again, rather than having to dig out all the magazines for each chapter, am I right?"

"Y-yeah, sure." _A grown-up who has a kid likes manga. Really?_ Ryouta stared at the woman, at her friendly face and the camera around her neck, with her shopping and little girl, but he could not see it. _Strange._

"Son, are you sure you were given enough money?"

"Huh?"

Ryouta whipped back around to the cashier and stared.

"You are 500 short." The cashier fanned out the notes by way of explanation, and Ryouta blinked, before taking his bag off and hurriedly searching for any money. But when he didn't find any, he realised what had happened.

"I must have left some of it at home by accident. Will I not be able to buy any of them?" Ryouta asked, unable to hide his disappointment.

"You'd have to put one aside, yes. But that means you can still get two. So, which ones will it be?"

Ryouta studied each volume, and frowned. Which one could he live without buying today? It was hard to decide, since he had different reasons –the author, the TV series, the one he could talk to his friends about-for liking and wanting to buy each series, so he didn't particularly want to put one aside. _Argh, which one? Which one?_ He could practically feel the cashier's eyes bore into him impatiently, and the woman and her kid were there too, which made it even more embarrassing. _Hurry up and choose one!_

"Ah, it's okay, kid. I'll cover your total. Get all of them."

Ryouta looked up rapidly and gawped at the woman, meeting her eyes.

"I…uh, really?"

"Airi-san?" the cashier was just as confused. "Why would you do that?"

The woman-Airi-grinned and winked as she started to dig in her handbag.

"It's not such a big deal." She said breezily as she found the right amount and was about to hand it over, when the kid interrupted.

"I give it!" she declared loudly, looking offended that Airi would think otherwise. Airi looked down at her.

"Takara, you want to give the money to the boy?"

Takara nodded intensely at this.

"Yes, Mama."

Airi looked at Ryouta uncertainly, and he shrugged. _Doesn't make a difference._ He was mostly just stunned that he would be able to buy all three, just as he wanted to. So Airi handed the note to Takara, who solemnly gave it to Ryouta, bursting into giggles the moment he took it and added it to the rest of the money.

"You should be grateful for that, you know." Was all the cashier said as he rang the items through and handed them over in a paper bag.

"Oh, I am." Ryouta took the bag and turned to Airi and Takara. They were leaving too, so he walked to the door with them.

"I, um….thank you very much!" he blurted out once they were outside, bowing slightly. Takara clapped in glee.

"Not a problem." Airi told him. "Just make sure you make the most out of these, that's all I want."

"Sure!" Ryouta grinned as he checked the time. _I can still get there early, so perhaps I will read one of these for a little while, then the rest can be started at home._ It was an exciting thought.

"Good, good. Now, since I'm sure you've got to rush off to school, Takara and I will go now. So, bye-bye, kid!"

"Bye-bye!" Takara chorused. Ryouta smiled, and dashed off. As he did, he could hear the mother and young daughter chat to each other, and one thread of conversation drifted towards his ears, even as their voices became more distant.

"Did you see that, Takara? That boy is a fan of Papa's."

"Really? He likes Papa?"

"Well, the manga that Papa writes, anyway. I don't think he actually _knows_ Papa as a person."

"Oh. Okay. Can we tell Papa?"

"About the boy?"

"Yeah! He's funny! I like him!"

"Ah, I see-"

At that point, Ryouta crossed the road, so he could not hear them anymore, and he didn't turn back to see if they would still be in his line of vision. But he thought about what he had heard. A fan of 'Papa'. Which meant that Takara's father was one of the _mangaka_ who had created one of the series whose newest volumes he had. But he didn't know who- _no, wait? I'm sure Fujinuma-sensei is married and that he has a kid? But was that a kid a boy or a girl, and were they little or more my age, or even bigger?_ He honestly had no idea, but all the same, the thought made him stop as he turned and looked at where they had been, just moments ago. And he wondered, if such a thing was really possible, if he really had just-

 _No, that's ridiculous!_

Shaking his head to rid himself of the thought, he pulled himself together. _That's the kind of thing that only happens in stories,_ he decided. And with that, he turned back around and continued on his journey to school, holding tightly onto his paper bag.

* * *

 **...somehow, I'm not entirely satisfied with this one. The idea made sense in my head, planning it out was fine too, but actually writing it...well, that was a different story altogether. Still, I did the best I could with it, and now it is here. But I'm a bit stuck with the writing of the other two (they are planned, but again, the actual writing of them...=P) so it is will probably be a very long time before you see those stories. For which I apologise. Anyway, I hope that you're enjoying the stories here, and please do leave me feedback if you can :)**

 **P.S. Would any of you be interested if I drew the OCs featured in this fic collection? If so, do tell me :)**


	11. Yukie Sugita, 2021

**Character: Yukie Sugita (OC)**  
 **Year: 2021**  
 **Title: What Happiness Is**  
 **Anything Else: One of the jokes (I use that term loosely) is based on the different meanings Japanese names can have dependent on what characters are used to write them. Here, Yukie's name is written as 'yu' meaning possession, 'ki' meaning hope and 'e' meaning blessing. Another variant would have 'yuki' meaning happiness, and 'e' meaning blessing.**

* * *

"Onii-Chan, Can I come and annoy you?"

"Surely your use of the word 'annoy' gives you the answer?"

Mirai doesn't look up as he says this, but his voice is full of laughter, so Yukie takes this as a good sign and bounds right in anyway, leaping straight into the middle of Mirai's bed as she always does whenever she comes in here, and then she sits up straight, crosses her legs and watches him do his homework.

From her angle, his back is to her, but from the way he scribbles so furiously, only to stop and tap his pen against the exercise book, Yukie suspects that the work he is doing is difficult, and pulls a face at the thought. She's _so_ not looking forward to high school. She's not even sure she wants to go into middle school, being perfectly content with things as they are, being a fifth grader and all.

"So, what is it, Yukie?"

She nearly jumps at this.

"Onii-Chan, you scared me!" she protests in annoyance, but she shakes it off quickly, remembering part of the reason she decided to come here.

"I'm stuck on my essay." She tells Mirai.

"Essay? Your homework?"

"Yes…well, no. The composition book."

"Ah, the composition book essays." Mirai nods, but doesn't turn around. "I remember that. I might still have mine from that time. Somewhere. I think."

" _Really_?" Yukie bug-eyes at this.

"That's not an excuse to go snooping around, by the way." Mirai adds. Yukie says nothing to this, but pouts behind his back and pretends that she wasn't planning to snoop around in the first place.

"Anyway, it's more likely Mum has it, rather than me."

"Mum?"

"Sure, she likes keeping all the things we do, right?"

"Yeah…." Yukie thinks about this. "Do you think she kept her own one, then?"

"It's possible. I'm not sure though. I don't think Mum was happy when she was in fifth grade."

"Oh." Yukie blinks. She knows this already, sort of. Not completely, because it is not as if their mother talks about these things a lot, unless she is asked. But she knows little things, such as some of the reasons Mum is still kind of awkward around Grandma Akemi, as if they are friendly strangers rather than a mother and daughter. She also knows that her parents were in the same fifth grade class, and that that was the year they became friends in the first place. It's the same with all their important family friends.

"I guess you're right? But what about Dad, and Satoru-san and Kenya-san and everyone? Wasn't she happy with them?"

"Sure. But they were how she became happy in the first place. Before that, she was rather lonely."

"Mum told you that?"

"I asked her."

"Oh."

"Anyway…" Mirai puts down his pen and finally spins his chair around to face her. "Weren't you talking about your essay? Do you have _any_ ideas at all? Even a vague sense of what you'd want to write about?"

"Uh…." Yukie goes blank, and has to think for a moment, eventually blurting out the first thing that she thinks of.

"Happiness."

"Oh? Like something that makes you happy? Like your birthday?"

Yukie gives Mirai a _look_ and wonders if he is completely crazy. Sure, she enjoyed her last birthday, but is that really something to write about?

"What? I wrote about mine!" Mirai says, a little defensive.

"Then I'm definitely not going to do that! What if Sensei thinks I copied you?!"

"It's been long enough that I don't think that'll be a problem, Yukie." Mirai retorts. "Ah! Speaking of which, there's an idea!"

"Huh?"

"If you want to write about happiness, why not centre it around your own name?"

"It takes a moment for Yukie to get it, but when she does, she pulls a face at Mirai and grabs a pillow off of his bed.

"My name isn't even written that way!" she protests before lobbing the pillow at him. Mirai catches it neatly and throws it back at her, and the next few moments are caught up in a riotous and rather silly pillow fight before they are both doubled over in laughter and end up stopping as a result.

When she is calmer, Yukie star-fish flops across the bed and looks up at the ceiling, at the faint outlines of glow-in-the-dark stickers that have been there for as long as she can remember. She smiles at them.

"I could write a really long essay about happiness, couldn't I?" she muses.

"Well, I suppose so. It depends. Are you going to write about all the different things that make you happy? Or why you're generally happy anyway? Or maybe about someone else's happiness?"

"Someone else's happiness?" Yukie rolls over and eyes Mirai, still sitting on his desk chair. "Like Mum's?"

"For example." Mirai shrugs. "But it's your essay, so shouldn't it be more about you?"

Yukie frowns.

"I know…." She shrugs. "Argh, I don't know. What does happiness even mean anyway, Onii-Chan?"

"Ah, such philosophical questions. But I say that it depends on the person and the moment. We're all different people after all. Makes sense that we all have different things that make us happy, and therefore different definitions of the concept."

"Like how you like to say fancy things like that when they just confuse everyone?" Yukie deadpans.

"Yukie, they only confuse you because you're little."

"Onii-Chan!" Yukie complains, making Mirai laugh and laugh. She glares at him, offended.

"Anyway!" she says, loudly and meaningfully, sitting back up and folding her arms to make a point.

"Some people have the same definitions of happiness too, right? They share their happiness. Like Mum and Dad?"

Yukie thinks of the way her mother's face lights up at the sight of her father, how in return his voice is a little different- more precious, somehow- when he talks to her. How they seem to understand each other really well. Mirai is clearly thinking about this too, for he chortles and rolls his eyes.

"Oh god, yeah, they're so sappy at times. But yes, I think I get what you mean. Like our pillow fight?"

"What? You enjoyed the pillow fight?" Yukie eyes her brother suspiciously. "Even though I won?"

"Who said that there was ever going to be a winner?"

"I did. Just now." Yukie quips. Mirai shakes his head and she giggles for a moment before a thought hits her.

"Oh!"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" Yukie frowns for a moment, then grins. Mirai stares at her, looking confused.

"I just thought of something!" she proclaims cheerfully.

"For…." Mirai tips his head to the side and considers. "Your essay?"

"Yup."

A silence, and Yukie continues to grin at Mirai, who continues to appear confused. Eventually, he sighs.

"Are you not going to explain?"

"My _essay_!"

"Yes, but what _about_ it?"

"I want to write about happiness, and we just talked about happiness."

"Okay…..so?"

"Onii-Chan, honestly." Yukie huffs and rolls her eyes exaggeratedly, but she gives the explanation anyway.

"So _obviously_ , I'm going to write about this conversation we just had!"

* * *

 **Yeah...the hiatus is now off. Despite being overtaken by Dangan Ronpa 3 I somehow got the spark I needed to get on with this collection. Though I don't know if there is much point in saying that given this is the second-to-last story anyway. Meh. Oh well. Anyway, the very final story has already been completely handwritten. I am aiming to type it up on Sunday, with the aim that it should be up early-to-mid next week. At least, that is the plan.**

 **Anyway, thank you for your patience if you've been waiting for this, I hope you enjoyed this story and please leave feedback!**


	12. Takara Fujinuma, 2026

**Character: Takara Fujinuma (OC)**  
 **Year: 2026**  
 **Title: Footprints in the Snow**  
 **Anything Else?: This is the final story in the collection! If you notice the years, this makes the story collection one that spans 50 years, which I reckon is quite cool. And in some ways, I feel it comes full circle. Also, this OC is the daughter of Satoru and Airi. The story itself makes this bleedingly obvious anyway, but thought I'd just say it anyway. So yeah, hope you enjoy this story, and that you enjoyed the collection in general!**

* * *

"Mama! Papa! It snowed again last night!"

"Yes, we noticed." Papa said dryly as I rushed downstairs to announce this. I grinned at him in response, and went to get some cereal for breakfast.

"Where's Mama? Did she fall asleep while editing again?"

"No, she's talking to one of her clients on the phone. She'll be out before you go though."

I shrugged at this. Between Papa's manga and Mama's photography, I was used to stranger things than breakfast-time phone calls- it was no big deal. So I just sat down with Papa and we started on our breakfasts, mostly silent. It didn't take long for Mama to join us, instantly setting off on a long story about the person she'd just been on the phone to. Half of what she said left me as soon as I heard it, it made my head spin that much, but it was kind of funny anyway and I just nodded and pretended I had a clue. Papa did the same, except that as usual it seemed like he actually had a clue, which made my head spin even more, but at the same time it was something else I was used to, so I just went with it.

When Mama finished her story, the chattering didn't stop, and we mostly just flitted from topic to topic. Usually Papa would bounce ideas off of us, but today he didn't need to, so we talked about all sorts of random things. But there was one thing that I really wanted to ask, and so as soon as I could, I went for it.

"Say, if you want to make friends with someone, it's okay to just go up to them and say 'hi, can you be my friend', right?"

"Sure it is!" Mama said, instantly. Papa frowned and thought about it.

"Well, yes. Is there someone you want to make friends with?"

"Yeah." I answered, thinking of Shika Ishida. I'd been thinking about her for the better part of two weeks, and I wasn't too sure what to do. Which was why I was asking about it now-I was that stuck.

"What's wrong? Did something happen with your friends-Chizuru and Kotone, was it?"

I shook my head.

"No, it's not like that." I paused and wondered how to explain.

"Is she lonely then, this girl?" Mama asked.

"Why are you assuming it's a girl?" Papa raised an eyebrow at Mama. She pouted at him.

"What's that meant to mean?" she teased, before turning to me. "Takara?"

"Yes, Ishida-san's a girl."

When Mama nodded in satisfaction and shot a gloating look at Papa, I sighed heavily, wondering why that had even needed to be a question in the first place.

"So, is she new to the school then?"

"Well, kind of."

When Papa turned his puzzled look to me, I reddened, but explained.

"She was new in second grade-I think she moved here with her own papa-, but that was in the other class. We've never been in the same class up until now, so I don't know her that well anyway, even if she isn't that new."

"Ah." Papa nodded as if had explained something to him.

"But I know she is lonely." I continued, my mind going back over the year so far, looking for memories where she had been.

"I think she had a lot of friends at first, but now nobody talks to her, she just sits by herself and stays quiet and she just looks kinda…gloomy. Squashed."

"'Squashed'?"

"Pffft, Papa, I don't know what word to use! She does look squashed, okay? Squashed by life!"

"I see." He considered this. "Do you know if anything happened to her to make that happen?"

"I'm not sure….." I admitted, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Well. I'd say it would be fine to just go ahead and ask. It can't hurt. And it worked for me."

"It did?!" I asked, incredulous. Papa simply nodded as he got up to wash his plates, but didn't explain any more. But still, the admission felt reassuring, so I decided I could just ask another time, and continued with breakfast.

Once we were all finished and everything was cleared, Mama went back into her home studio, and I made sure I had everything for school before putting on my jacket, gloves and my cat-eared hat, before pulling on my new boots. Papa tracked down his own bag, Puffa jacket, shoes and green scarf, before calling out.

"Airi! Takara and I are setting off now!"

"Bye-bye, Mama!" I chimed in.

"See you later then! Take care!" she yelled out cheerfully from the studio. At the sound of her voice, Papa smiled to himself before he opened the door. I hopped up and down the two steps, ahead of him, leaping straight into the snow.

"Oooh, there might be enough to make a snowman now. Or have a proper snowball fight. I don't know. Which one should I do?"

Papa laughed at this.

"Well, why not do both?"

"Hmm, I suppose so."

"The snow will still be around for a while yet, so there's enough time for multiple snowmen. And snowball fights."

"Will you make one of the snowmen with me then?"

"Hmmm. If I'm not busy. But why don't we see if we can get your mother to join in as well, then have a snowball fight too?"

"That sounds like a great idea!"

"Well then, that's what we'll do."

At this, we stopped at the corner, and Papa turned to the crossing while I prepared to go around the corner where I'd soon meet up with my friends.

"See you later then, Papa!"

"Bye now." Just as he was about to cross though, he stopped and turned around again, as if he had forgotten something.

"Takara?"

"Yes?"

"Good luck."

"Thanks, Papa."

 **…**

Once I was around the corner, I met up with Kotone and Chizuru, and we talked about anime for a little while. Chizuru watched a lot of anime, and one of her favourite ongoing series was an adaptation of one of Papa's series, which was also ongoing. Because of this, she bugged me a little about what would be happening next in both, but I didn't tell her- in the first place, I wasn't properly following the series myself as I wanted to wait until Papa had finished the manga at least, and even if I was, I'd been sworn to secrecy anyway. It didn't matter too much, because it didn't take long for Chizuru to find some other series to talk about, and then we chatted about some other things too. A couple of our classmates went by us, and we greeted them, too, and it was just generally a usual morning. Except that I was waiting to meet Ishida, and so when we approached the road she usually came from, I quietened so that I could look out for her properly.

"Taka-Chan, is something wrong?" Chizuru asked, noticing immediately. I shook my head.

"Nah, its fine." I told her distractedly as I studied the other side.

"Hey, doesn't Ishida-san come this way?" Kotone interjected.

"What, you mean the one in our class?"

"Who else would I mean, dummy?" Kotone retorted. "But yeah, she does, right?"

"Mhm…" I muttered. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Kotone just shrug, seeming to forget about the question as soon as she did. But sure enough, a few moments later, Ishida appeared from up the side road, then began trudging up the other side of the road we were on. Her bobble hat was firmly pulled over her ears and her curly hair, while her scarf was wrapped around her really tightly. As I'd noticed was usual for her, she had no coat, and hunched over a little to make up for this. I'd been wondering about this too, and figured I could ask once we'd made friends. But even with that curiosity, I didn't rush off straight away. Instead, I stayed with Chizuru and Kotone, and half-listened to what they were chattering about as I kept an eye on Ishida.

I quickly noticed that she was the only one walking on that side of the road. Most of the snow had been crunched down on already, made hard and shiny by shoes, so it wasn't as if she was the first one to walk there. But still, there was enough soft snow for footprints to be left now, and hers were the only ones tracking across it. Making a really lonely path. And for a moment, I thought of Mama and Papa.

They'd met on a day that was snowy- although when the snow was falling rather than like now, when it had been and gone. Papa had gone for a walk and was sheltering under a bridge, and Mama had been taking photographs in the area when the snow had hit. The bridge she rushed to was where Papa was, and she asked to take shelter with him. He agreed, and somehow that led to them going to get something to eat. Then, later, when he'd finished work for the day, they met up and he walked her back. And that was how everything between them had started. Although apparently they'd come across each other a long while before that, when Papa had been in hospital. But still, the bridge and the snowy day was where everything had started.

It was my favourite story about them, about how they'd got to know each other and the things they'd done before marrying, before then having me. I especially liked it because I liked to imagine how the scene looked after they'd walked away from the bridge. Those two sets of footprints, side by side, as if the snow already knew that they'd end up being together until the end of time (I knew that obviously footprints themselves would eventually melt or get covered or something, but that was not even anywhere near the point. The point was about the footprints while they existed). Having someone to leave footprints behind with- that was mostly what I wanted, when I grew up and had to think about marrying and things like that. I thought everyone should be able to have someone like that, even if they were family or friends rather than their soulmate or something. But Ishida didn't even have that. She was alone, leaving behind lonely footprints in the snow. And I found that unfair.

But I had a strong suspicion that I was the only one who thought this. And so I was the only one who could do something about it. And so, as her trail of footprints became longer, I knew that as Papa had said I should, I needed to just go for it.

"Chi-Chan, Kotone-Chan, go without me, okay? I'll catch up with you in the classroom!"

"Eh? Taka-Chan?"

"Huh, Taka-Chan, where are you going?"

I ignored them as I dashed across the road (after making sure no cars were coming, of course). I probably shouldn't have been running, but I figured it was fine just this once.

"Ishi-"as I drew to a halt in front of her, I stopped and considered my words for a moment, then shook my head and tried again.

"SHIKA-CHAN!" I yelled out. Ishida stopped and stared at me, startled blue eyes studying me warily. For a moment, I thought that she didn't recognise me, but then her face cleared slightly and she tugged down her scarf a little so she could talk.

"F….Fujinuma-san?" she asked as she tipped her head to the side, studying me. I nodded.

"Yeah."

"What's wrong?" Ishida's brow wrinkled as she continued to study me, looking confused. Now that the moment was here, I found myself feeling a little silly. But that didn't matter-it was now or never. So, thinking of the footprints in the snow, I took a deep breath, and went for it.

"Shika-Chan, do you want to become friends?"


End file.
